A web presenter is a little man or woman that pops up onto your screen and talks to you while you surf a website. Like a popup window, the web presenter comes with a small ‘x’ somewhere on the screen (usually next to or just above them) that you can click that makes them shut up and go away. Unlike a popup window, the web presenter exists as part of the same page you were already on, and it moves with you as you scroll up and down the page.

A web presenter offers small businesses or web-based businesses the opportunity to have something that they might otherwise lack: a face and a personality. For web surfers that are accustomed to dealing almost entirely in text and maybe the occasional flash video, a web presenter can be a very arresting and captivating element on an otherwise humdrum website.

That said, it’s easily possible to misuse a web presenter. Generally, you want to craft your presenter’s script so that they act as a tool that increases conversions, much like a targeted email marketing campaign or a carefully-crafted sales letter. But because the web presenter uses voice rather than text, it has a very different threshold for driving traffic away.

More specifically, it’s OK to write in all red capitals letters with arrows pointing at them if you need to make a major point in text. But if your web presenter tries to perform the vocal equivalent, they’ll get shut off before they finish their second word. Web presenters should present themselves as informational, friendly, and laid-back.

Think of it this way: remember the last time you walked into a brick-and-mortar store and you were genuinely impressed by the guy or gal behind the counter. You want that kind of attitude — helpful, engaging, friendly, and ready to leave you alone if you want. Those web presenters get listened to, and they make sales — which is ultimately the point.

So if your conversions are lagging, hire a company to put together a professional web presenter for your site. When your surfers find that there’s more information waiting in a friendly and interesting format, they’ll stick around — and that’s often the key to converting them in the end.